Andaman holidays & community tours, Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Southern Thailand |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests |
| price: | From US $219 (3 days) excluding flights depending on activity, size of group and length of stay. We offer itineraries from 1 day to 7 days. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Experience untouched Thailand on a customized community-based tour in traditional villages just off the beaten track in the North Andaman, Southern Thailand. By visiting the region and the villagers, you will contribute to the conservation and economic reconstruction of the area, ravaged by the tsunami in 2004.
Despite the region's proximity to the touristy beaches of Phuket and Khao Lak, it is remarkably undeveloped and communities still survive by their traditional livelihoods. Located near the stunning Surin Nation Park, this area offers extraordinary ecological and cultural diversity. As part of their post-tsunami recovery, villagers have opened up their homes and lives to allow you to experience their fascinating cultures and communities, in an authentic and non-intrusive way.
This undiscovered part of Thailand will captivate people who want to experience genuine cultural exchange and the traditional ways of life of Southern Thai communities. The trips are ideal for families wanting to educate their children about how other people live and also people wanting to get off the beaten track and away from built up touristy areas where you see more tourists than local people! Our trips are suitable for people of all ages, abilities and interests.
You can find yourself helping subsistence fishermen, rowing through dense mangroves, joining in community aerobics, playing beach football as the sun sets over the Andaman Sea, feeding baby goats, preparing the evening meal and even volunteering on a community-driven project.
We can assist you make the most of your trip by providing the link between small local communities who want to participate in community-based tourism and you, the socially and eco-conscious traveler, who cares about how and where they travel. We offer short-term volunteer placement for those of you that want to ‘give something back’ but don’t necessarily have the time to spend volunteering for months. You can help out for as little as an hour a day.
Homestay experience
For those who want to do a multi-day tour, it is recommended that you stay in-village in a homestay. Homestays are an opportunity to really engage with the villagers and experience genuine Thai hospitality and mouth-watering local cuisine. Alternatively, there are a number of accommodation options available near the villages to meet a variety of budgets.
Below is a sample itinerary showing a typical 3 days tour in Ban Tale Nok village.
Despite the region's proximity to the touristy beaches of Phuket and Khao Lak, it is remarkably undeveloped and communities still survive by their traditional livelihoods. Located near the stunning Surin Nation Park, this area offers extraordinary ecological and cultural diversity. As part of their post-tsunami recovery, villagers have opened up their homes and lives to allow you to experience their fascinating cultures and communities, in an authentic and non-intrusive way.
This undiscovered part of Thailand will captivate people who want to experience genuine cultural exchange and the traditional ways of life of Southern Thai communities. The trips are ideal for families wanting to educate their children about how other people live and also people wanting to get off the beaten track and away from built up touristy areas where you see more tourists than local people! Our trips are suitable for people of all ages, abilities and interests.
You can find yourself helping subsistence fishermen, rowing through dense mangroves, joining in community aerobics, playing beach football as the sun sets over the Andaman Sea, feeding baby goats, preparing the evening meal and even volunteering on a community-driven project.
We can assist you make the most of your trip by providing the link between small local communities who want to participate in community-based tourism and you, the socially and eco-conscious traveler, who cares about how and where they travel. We offer short-term volunteer placement for those of you that want to ‘give something back’ but don’t necessarily have the time to spend volunteering for months. You can help out for as little as an hour a day.
Homestay experience
For those who want to do a multi-day tour, it is recommended that you stay in-village in a homestay. Homestays are an opportunity to really engage with the villagers and experience genuine Thai hospitality and mouth-watering local cuisine. Alternatively, there are a number of accommodation options available near the villages to meet a variety of budgets.
Below is a sample itinerary showing a typical 3 days tour in Ban Tale Nok village.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Meet at head office in Kuraburi for coffee and pre-trip briefing before leaving for Ban Talae Nok village where you will meet your host homestay family. You will then get chance to take part in an interactive workshop with the Tsunami Craft Soap Cooperative followed by lunch with your host family. Spend the afternoon hiking in the jungle with a local eco-guide and then relax on the beach at sunset. Join your host family for dinner and perhaps a traditional cultural activity before heading to bed for a well earned rest. |
| Day 2: | After breakfasting with your host family, head to Koh Kwai islandfor a snorkeling trip. Enjoy lunch on an uninhabited island then it's time for more snorkeling, or just relaxing on the deserted beach. In the evening, help your host family to prepare dinner and get another taste of the local culture and traditions before drifting off to sleep. |
| Day 3: | Take a morning rowing trip through the mangroves,after breakfast with your host family. An interactive Batik workshop follows lunch with your host family and then it's back to the village for some free time to explore. Bid a fond farewell to your host family and then finish the trip with a debrief back in Kuraburi. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
award winner how this holiday makes a difference
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By taking this holiday you are able to help build a sustainable tourism future for this pristine area; one that helps to preserve traditional cultures and local ecology. Your tour dollars will support this program which is designed to provide important income diversification and opportunity for the lives and local economy that were devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
 A portion of the cost of each tour is contributed to a community fund used by and for the villages that you visit. Typical projects they hope to use the community fund for include a new floating pier, improved hiking trails, new community trails, waste management programs, etc.The fact that tourists are spending their money to see natural habitats and observe traditional ways of life shows the community the importance of preserving these assets. Some of the activities have also created new jobs and revenue for women who previously had no employment.  This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
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